Campylobacters as placental pathogens

Oral colonization of Gram-negative anaerobes as a risk factor for preterm delivery

“…Campylobacter species are known to cross the placenta and induce adverse pregnancy outcomes in sheep 139 and IUGR in mice. 140 C. rectus, P. gingivalis, Prevotella, Aa and their bacterial products are among the periodontopathogens reported to disseminate from the oral cavity through the circulatory system to the uterus thus inducing systemic and inflammatory responses which bring about PTB.…”

Campylobacters and impaired fetal development in mice

“…Of the three species known to be associated with human disease, twoCampylobacter jejuni and C. coli-are among the most common causes of infectious diarrhoea (Skirrow, 1977), whereas C. fetus ss fetus (henceforth referred to as C. fetus) is recognised as a cause of septicaemia in immunocompromised hosts (Guerrant et al, 1978). Campylobacters can also cause enteric infections in animals, but infertility and abortion are more common (Coid and Fox, 1983).…”

Campylobacter-induced Fetal Death in a Rhesus Monkey

“…Early reports of Campylobacter-induced gastrointestinal infections in humans and monkeys indicated that organisms appeared to penetrate the mucosa and enter the blood. 2 In humans, because the organisms were rarely recovered from the genital tract, localization in the placenta during bacteremia was considered the likely pathogenesis. More recently, a report of C. jejuni diarrheal disease in a pregnant woman suggested ascending infection may also be an important route of infection and a cause of septic abortion.…”

“…3 This is the first report of Campylobacter-induced fetal death in a rhesus monkey and only the second report of such an occurrence in macaques. C. fetus causes abortions and infertility in animals, 2,8 but in humans the organism is usually associated with bacteremia and extraintestinal infections such as abortions, arthritis, abscesses, peritonitis, endocarditis, and salpingitis. 10 However, C. fetus can cause gastroenteritis in humans, and the incidence of infection may be underestimated because of the routine fecal culture techniques used.…”